The present invention relates generally to a water treatment system and, more particularly, to a method and system for providing electrical power to a water treatment system through hydroelectric power generation.
Over the past several years, people have become more health conscious when it comes to consuming water from public water supplies or private wells. Unfortunately, in today""s increasingly polluted world, there is no such thing as naturally pure water. Water supplies contain microbiological and chemical contaminants that can be found in nature or are the result of human activity. As water flows in streams, resides in lakes, and filters through layers of soil and rock in the ground, the water dissolves or absorbs naturally occurring contaminants. In addition, human-originated sources of water contaminants can result from rainfall runoff, snowmelt and underground migration from disposal sites.
A clean, constant supply of drinking water is essential to every community. People in large cities frequently drink water that comes from surface water sources, such as lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. Sometimes these sources are close to the community and other times, drinking water is obtained from sources many miles away. In rural areas, people are more likely to drink ground water that is pumped from public or private wells. These wells tap into aquifers that may be only a few miles wide, or may span the borders of many states. Although efforts are made to limit the levels of contaminants in ground water and surface water, some level of contaminants is present in all drinking water.
As a result of the increased awareness of water contamination, the public desires to have the water it consumes purified. Several different types of water treatment systems have been developed to increase the purity of drinking water for the consuming public. These systems typically remove some or all of the contaminants found in drinking water supplies in an effort to provide water free of contamination. Several of these systems use a carbon-based filter unit and an ultraviolet (UV) light unit to filter and decontaminate the water before being dispensed for consumption. The carbon-based filter unit uses inert material to filter out particulate and organic contaminants. Ultraviolet radiation that is emitted from the ultraviolet light unit is used to neutralize harmful microorganisms present in the water.
In order to energize the ultraviolet light unit and a plurality of other systems in the water treatment system, a power source is required. Conventional water treatment systems use power from a standard electrical outlet or a battery power source to provide the energy necessary to drive all of the components in the water treatment system, including the ultraviolet light unit. In the case of water treatment systems powered by electrical outlets, the system has limited portability and ceases to operate when there is an interruption in the electrical outlet power supply. Water treatment systems operated from battery power sources contain only a finite supply of energy that is depleted through operation or storage of the water treatment system and replacement batteries must be readily available to keep the water treatment system operable. If a longer-term battery power source is desired, larger batteries are required that can add considerable weight and size to the water treatment system.
Some existing water treatment systems are capable of using either the standard electrical outlets or the battery power sources where the battery power source can be replenished by the electrical outlet power source. Although these water treatment systems do not require replacement batteries, the capacity and size of the batteries dictate the length of operation of the water treatment system while operating on the battery source. An electrical outlet source must also be utilized on a regular basis to replenish the batteries. In addition, these water treatment systems require additional electrical circuits and components to operate from the two different power sources.
For the foregoing reasons, a need exists for a water treatment system containing an internal power supply that requires no external electrical power source and can produce power to operate the water treatment system.
The present invention discloses a hydro-power generation system for use in conjunction with a water treatment system that overcomes problems associated with the prior art. The embodiments of the hydro-power generation system require no external power source to provide power for use by the water treatment system. The hydro-power generation system is operable to produce electricity when water is flowing through the water treatment system.
One embodiment of the hydro-power generation system includes a nozzle, a housing and an outlet. During operation, water flows from the water treatment system into the nozzle. The nozzle forces the flowing water through the housing to the outlet. The housing is formed to accept an impeller that is in fluid communication with water flowing through the housing. The flowing water acts on the impeller causing the impeller to rotate. The impeller is fixedly coupled to a generator. The rotation of the impeller rotates a portion of the generator thereby producing electricity for the water treatment system.
Another embodiment of the hydro-power generation system includes a housing, an impeller, a nozzle, an outlet and a generator. The housing includes an airspace within which the impeller that is capable of rotating is positioned. The nozzle penetrates the housing and provides an inlet for water. The nozzle operates to provide a stream of water that is directed at the impeller to induce the rotation of the impeller. The outlet is coupled to the housing to channel water directed at the impeller out of the housing. The generator is coupled with the impeller such that rotation of the impeller induces the generation of electricity by the generator.
Yet another embodiment of the hydro-power generation system includes a housing, a rotor and a stator. The housing includes an inlet and an outlet and forms a conduit for the passage of water therethrough. The rotor is positioned within the housing and capable of rotation such the rotor is rotated by the flow of water through the housing. The stator is positioned to surround the rotor such that rotation of the rotor induces the production of electricity.
A method of supplying electricity to a water treatment system using water that is subject to treatment by the water treatment system is described by another embodiment. The method comprises providing a housing that includes an inlet and an outlet, and supplying a flow of water to the inlet of the housing. The water flows through the housing to the outlet. The method further comprises rotating a rotor that is positioned in the housing. The position of the rotor in the housing is such that a stator surrounds the rotor. In addition, the method comprises generating electricity with the rotor and the stator. The rotation of the rotor induces the generation of electricity.
Yet another embodiment describes a method of supplying electricity to a water treatment system using water that is subject to treatment by the water treatment system. This method includes providing a housing having an airspace and supplying a flow of water to a nozzle. In addition, the method includes directing the water sprayed from the nozzle at an impeller that is positioned within the airspace and is capable of rotation. The method continues by rotating the impeller and a rotor that is fixedly coupled to the impeller with the water sprayed from the nozzle. The rotor is cooperatively operable with a stator to form a generator that is generating electricity when the rotor rotates.
The presently preferred embodiments can be readily adapted for use in a variety of water treatment systems that require a power source, such as portable water treatment systems, faucet-mounted water treatment systems, under-counter water treatment systems, whole house water treatment systems and remote location water treatment systems. Those skilled in the art would also recognize that the hydro-power generation system could be adapted for use with various other systems that require electricity during activities that include flowing water or other fluids.
Since the presently preferred water treatment system contains a self-sustaining power supply, the standard electrical outlet power supply is not required. In addition, since the water treatment system is capable of supplying its own power needs, it can also provide a power source for charging an energy storage device used for the water treatment system. The energy storage device may augment operation by providing power for such things as indicators and monitors during times when the water is not flowing. In the presently preferred embodiments, the hydro-power generation system may provide power for initial power requirements, UV lamp starting, indicators and monitoring devices.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, viewed in conjunction with the appended drawings. The foregoing discussion has been provided only by way of introduction. Nothing in this section should be taken as a limitation on the following claims, which define the scope of the invention.